Hurricanes Announce Training Camp Roster & Nikishin Update

The wait is over; Carolina Hurricanes hockey is back, almost. Despite 12 days remaining until opening night on Sept. 29, training camp is officially underway in Raleigh. On Wednesday afternoon (Sept. 16), the Hurricanes announced their official 2026 training camp roster ahead of the 2026-27 regular season. That said, who is in Raleigh to prepare for the upcoming season?

2026 Training Camp Roster

Heading into camp, the Hurricanes will have 41 skaters and six goaltenders when on-ice training begins on Thursday, Sept. 17, at 9 a.m. Just like previous seasons, the camp will be split into two groups. Group one (C1) will consist of most of last season’s NHL roster, while group two (C2) consists of players who spent last season in the American Hockey League (AHL). The C1 group features 22 skaters and three goalies, while C2 has 19 skaters and three goalies.

At first glance, it’s good to see Seth Jarvis and Eric Robinson listed on the training camp roster after news of them having surgery in late June. It was predicted that Robinson would be ready for camp, but there was a sense that Jarvis would be out four to six weeks. If he is ready to go, that timeline really jumped up and changes the storylines heading into the season.

If Jarvis was out, there was an idea that Bradly Nadeau could get an extended look. While that is still a possibility, it makes things interesting if the 13th overall pick from 2020 (Jarvis) could be ready sooner rather than later. While it is good to see Jarvis listed, there will be an update over the coming days.

Recent defense signings of Mike Reilly and Pierre-Olivier Joseph are part of the C1 group to begin camp. They could slot into the seventh and eighth spots on the depth chart to begin the season on the blue line. However, things could change between now and the start of the season. Two guys to watch from the C2 group defensively are Charles Alexis Legault and Joel Nystrom, two guys who really showcased their skills last season while the Hurricanes dealt with injuries.

Regarding the goalies, it looks like 2026 sixth-round pick Zachary Jovanovski will be starting camp with Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov as the C1 trio. It makes sense to start with the C1 group, as he will be returning to the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) this season. It’ll be a great experience learning from two goalies who just won the Stanley Cup. The C2 group will have the trio that will start with the Chicago Wolves this upcoming season: Cayden Primeau, Zach Sawchenko, and Ruslan Khazheyev.

Alexander Nikishin Camp Update

The Hurricanes also provided an update on restricted free agent Alexander Nikishin. In a statement posted on social media, general manager Eric Tulsky stated, “Alexander Nikishin is not under contract currently, so he will not be at camp when we hit the ice on Thursday. We won’t be commenting further at this time.” It makes sense why Nikishin isn’t there since he made a “change of scenery” trade request after the season.

It’s been known for a while that Nikishin and his camp want north of $8 million annually after his first full NHL season last year. With him not at camp, that certainly changes things for Joseph and Reilly, who could be promoted from seventh and eighth defensemen to both making the opening-night roster. While things could change over the next couple of weeks, this is an intriguing storyline to follow throughout camp and the preseason.

All in all, we have checked another offseason benchmark off the checklist. We’re down to 12 days from opening night for the Hurricanes as they look to defend their Stanley Cup championship. As the days pass, the storylines will shift and become more intriguing as we build up to the start of the 2026-27 season.